Need Input - Next Optics Purchase

mproberts

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Looking for some input on what my next purchase should be. I currently have a pair of 10X42 SLCs and 8x42 Conquests. I'm trying to decide between big binos or a large mm spotter. I tried a 55mm spotter awhile back and didn't find it anymore helpful than my 10x42 SLCs.

Between different deals, points, gift cards, etc... all of these options come up to basically the same price.

Zeiss Conquest 15x56
Leica Geovid-R 15x56
Vortex Razor UHD 18x56
Zeiss Gavia 30-60x85

I wish I had the money for a large mm swaro spotter, but I just don't. The cheapest swaro option is easily double what I'm looking to spend.
 
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Rodéo

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I'm in the market for big eyes as well (56mm objective). I'd definitely consider meopta meostar 15x56's. I haven't looked through that pair exactly but I have laid eyes on different objective size meostars and they were awesome to my eyes. The razor uhd is too new and pricey for me to consider, zeiss conquest gets mixed reviews in the 56mm, geovid gets great reviews and gavia is supposed to be in the running for best spotter out there right now.

Guess you need to decide if you value big binos or a spotter more, personally I'm starting to lean towards big bino's in my pack and 8x42's on my chest for most hunts.
 
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Are you wanting to find game? Count inches? Where, what and how do you hunt? What are you wanting this new optic to do for you?

I have SLC 10s, SLC 15s, and a STX 65/95. I do not use my spotter to glass; it gets used to check something out. My SLC 15s get used when I have to glass from dawn to dusk in open country. My SLC 10s get used in "thicker" terrain and can pull glassing duty. Depending on where I'm hunting, I can mix things up.
 
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mproberts

mproberts

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I'm mainly wanting to purchase what I can get the most use out of. I lean more towards just finding game vs counting inches, but honestly it just depends on the hunt and tag I have in my hand. I hunt in numerous western states, so the terrain is always different and there is also a good mixture of backcountry and day hunting.

My immediate hunts are Arizona mule deer & coues; eastern Montana mule deer & lope; Wyoming high country mule deer. For my Arizona hunts I'm leaning towards 15's for glassing, but I still feel like a large mm spotter would be better to have in my arsenal vs another pair of binos. I also feel like even if you aren't counting inches a spotter could make the difference between going on a long hike to hunt an animal or not, especially in Arizona. Although I really have never used a high end large mm spotter and have serious doubts about their utility after being very underwhelmed by what my 55mm spotter brought to the table. So I'm torn on what to buy.
 
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I'd recommend going with 15s or 18s (focus on quality glass).

When glassing I can find more animals with my SLC 15s than I can with my SLC 10s. Even with my 15s, there are times where I can see the animal but it is too far away to get a stalk going. My spotter typically gets used for taking a closer look and get confirmation. On an average day the spotter is used for a few minutes while my 15s get used from before dawn to dusk.

For the money spent, which offers you the most value?
 

BjornF16

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Although I really have never used a high end large mm spotter and have serious doubts about their utility after being very underwhelmed by what my 55mm spotter brought to the table.

what 55mm spotter did you try?
 

JakeSCH

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I had a 85mm spotter until i bought Maven B4 15's...then the spotter only got used for taking photo's at long ranges.

I ended up selling the spotter because I didn't want to haul it around and I would spot 10x more game with the 15's (btw my success skyrocketed once I bought the 15's).

Wasn't a huge fan of the B4 ergonomics, so I checked out several different 15's / 18's (SLC's, Maven B5, and Vortex UHD) and decided to keep the B5's in 18x because they were the best bang for the buck (they had a 15% code due to covid a while back).

I've heard great things about the other bino's you listed, you really can't go wrong. Buy the one that gives you the most confidence...if you are confident behind the glass you will spot more game.
 
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mproberts

mproberts

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Did you think the glass was better in the B5 18s than the UHD 18s? or the same?

Also if it wasn't a bang for the buck issue did you think the SLC 15s were better than any pair of 18s you tried?

I was leaning towards the conquest 15s because I really liked the conquest 10s I had, and imo trading up to the SLC 10s was something I wouldn't do again if given the option.
 
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mproberts

mproberts

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For the money spent, which offers you the most value?

Thanks for the input. I guess my biggest problem is that I have never owned a large mm spotter or hunted with someone who was, so it's sort of an unknown to me what it could bring to the table.
 

JakeSCH

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Not going to lie, I am not a vortex fan so I have bias when comparing their glass. With that in mind, I would buy Maven's over the UHD's even at the same price point. I do believe that they are optically close enough that it depends on the eyes of the person holding the glass.

I really like the SLC's 15 but even though their glass was slightly clearer (it was evident when taking photos) I would always spot more game with my Maven B4's. I ran them side by side on a cow elk hunt last December and would consistently spot game with the Maven's that I didn't see with the SLC's. It most likely has to do with the fact that my eyes / mind were trained to spot through the subtle warmers colors in the Maven's glass.

I got the SLC's in a killer deal from bass pro (10% off + 25% cash back with my credit card + 5% cash back on rakuten), but ended up returning them.

If you like your 10x Conquest I would look closely at their 15's because if the glass is similar your eye's may be trained for it already.
 

JakeSCH

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A note to above, I spotted a cow elk ear / top of head at 1800 yards with my B4's that I had been staring at with the SLC 15's and never saw. That was the exact point I made up my mind to just return the SLC's and save the money.
 
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I can tell you that the next couple months will be the best time to buy New Swaro EL of any kind as dealers a dumping them with the NL Pure release. And no doubt there will be used EL on the market soon. I feel Swaro or Zeiss right now have the best options but price is a factor for all of us. Thsat said cry once and enjoy the best everytime you hunt from now on.
 

JRMiller

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Holding those 56’s for hours is gonna get real tired real quick, but if youre bringing a tripod regardless of either choice then youd be fine
 

Ac338

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I'm in the same boat as you. I just bought 10x42 meopta meostars and like them a lot. I'm going to get a pair of 15's before next season and probably a pair of 8's. I'll rock the 8's for lightweight hunts and either the 8 or 10 on chest with 15's and tripod in the pack for hunts where I'll need to spend more time glassing. I was thinking spotter as well but decided against it and will go 15s instead, If I was one to score animals before committing I would get a spotter as well.
 
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mproberts

mproberts

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If I was one to score animals before committing I would get a spotter as well.
Yeah I'm not really that guy, but being able to tell if it's legal or not before you make a hike would be nice to know. I feel like my 55mm spotter didn't really tell me much more than my 10x42 SLCs. I really need to test out some large mm high quality spotters to see what they actually offer... because if it's basically what my 55mm was offering I think I will stick to 15x binos.
 

coues32

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Jan 13, 2016
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I've ran swaro 15s since 1st shipment to the outdoorsmans, now have the hds 15s, all I run are 12x50 els even in archery season, 8x32 els get left behind,
Ditched 10x42els
sold swaro 65 hd sts bought kowa 601 to save weight, optics are really close.
12 els are crazy good with a tripod
 
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mproberts

mproberts

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Thanks for all the input guys. I ended up going with the 15x56 Conquests and was very pleased with that decision when I had time to test them out today, I also picked up a Gavia spotter to test against my 55mm spotter, but ended up returning it when it didn't live up to my expectations. I definitely think I will get more use out of the 15s than a larger spotter. I guess now I'll just have to save up for a 95mm STX/BTX combo one day.
 

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